Weston
board approves
Lewis
and Clark event
Aldermen
okay the use of 400 block of Main Street
The month of June will bring an other facet of Weston’s
past to life as mountain men and trappers rendezvous to
recreate the lifestyle of western expansion from 1740
to 1840.
The Weston Board of Aldermen approved the use of the
400 block of Main Street for crafters, vendors and a stage
for entertainment during Monday night’s meeting.
The Lewis and Clark event is planned for the weekend of
June 29-30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 am.
until 5 p.m. Sunday.
“We plan to have demonstrations throughout the day
and will have crafters and vendors mixed on the street,”
Don Buckholz, co-chairman of the Lewis and Clark Trad’n
Days committee, said. “We will also have Native American
demonstrations and a children’s program and face
painting.”
Buckholz said Native American Dee Brooks will sing traditional
songs, the Heart of America Indian Center will present
traditional drumming and dancing and Dennis Lee Rogers,
an enrolled tribal member of the Navajo Nation of Arizona,
will present hoop dancing and native cultural teachings.
Blue Grass music by Steve Gouge and Jeff Elsloo, will
be played on Saturday.
For those who like to rough it, David Cain will show
what “roughing it” was like with a living history
display. Cain portrays hunter John Coulter who joined
with Lewis and Clark in 1803.
This year’s Lewis and Clark celebration is planned
as part of the bicentennial celebration of the historic
trek into the then-unknown Louisiana Territory, a trip
boldly taken where no map had been before, and will tie
into the 2004 state celebration, Buckholz said.
While traffic was not a problem for Lewis and Clark,
the aldermen had to consider this 21st century conundrum.
“My concern is emergency vehicles through the city,”
Police Chief Terry Blanton said. “I’m also concerned
about children’s safety.”
The aldermen considered using the 500 block of Main and
half of Thomas before approving the 400 block and placing
the bandstand in front of the bank.
If Lewis and Clark is not enough festival, RJ’s Saloon
will hold a street dance June 15, and the aldermen approved
the Applefest for Oct. 5-6. Applefest chairwoman Marilyn
Lindahl said vendors and crafters could start setting
up at 5 p.m. Friday. The cost for vendors is $75 with
a $5 electrical fee for profit booths, and $40 for non-profit
groups.
In other business, the board of aldermen:
•Approved a new five-year contract with Mobil Radio
Communication Corporation, for cell phone service.
•Approved destruction of old city records.
•Considered health code upgrades to match new Platte
County Health Department guidelines. Tabled for further
review.
•Also tabled a street sweeper request by Alderman
Mark Huffman. The street sweeper proposal would rent the
unit and driver once a month. A projected hourly rate
of $95 per hour could cost the city between $700 to $800
for four to six hours of sweeping. Also, the proposal
ran into the problem of parked vehicles. The issue was
tabled while Huffman can collect more facts.
•Approved dropping home business rates on trash
to home based business. Since most business is done by
computer and does not generate trash in the conventional
sense, the aldermen approved residential rates to home
based business people.
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